Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller recognized Haley Neslony of San Antonio and Olivia York of Temple as winners of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) You ART What You Eat student art contest. This initiative is part of TDA’s efforts to promote School Breakfast Week, which takes place March 6 through 10. The winning artwork illustrates this year’s theme, Take the Breakfast Challenge, and inspired the creation of TDA’s posters that Texas schools will feature during School Breakfast Week 2017. Olivia earned the top honor in the middle/high school category and Haley won in the elementary division.

“We can all look forward to a healthier future for Texas when talented young people like Haley and Olivia inspire their peers to pursue healthy lifestyles,” Commissioner Miller said. “Their enthusiasm for promoting good nutrition in the lunchroom will be on display in schools across Texas and at the Texas Capitol. I invite other Texas students who share that enthusiasm to create their own artwork for next year’s art contest and help us promote the benefits of eating a healthy school meal.”

TDA introduced the You ART What You Eat statewide student art contest in 2016, and Commissioner Miller is inviting all Texas students attending a school participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs to submit entries for the 2017-18 contest. TDA will accept entries from March 13-May 15, 2017. Students are asked to create artwork that illustrates the themes Rock the Day with a Healthy School Lunchfor National School Lunch Week 2017 or Dive into a Healthy Breakfast for School Breakfast Week 2018.

Winning entries will inspire the creation of materials including suggested menus, newsletter ads, social media ads and flyers. In addition to having their artwork presented to a statewide audience, winners and finalists receive recognition from peers, school teachers and staff, just like Haley received from her principal at Ralph Langley Elementary in San Antonio’s Northside Independent School District.

“I’m very excited about Haley winning this award,” Principal Leticia Ramirez said. “She is very smart and hardworking, and she loves drawing. It is truly an exciting moment for Haley to have her drawing chosen to represent the Texas Department of Agriculture and School Breakfast Week and to know that a creation she put her heart into will be used in school cafeterias statewide! Way to go Haley!”

Each school day, Texas child nutrition professionals serve breakfast to approximately 1.7 million students. School Breakfast Week and other initiatives such as TDA’s Farm Fresh Fridays support efforts to ensure students enjoy nutritious meals and practice the 3E’s of Healthy Living — Education, Exercise and Eating Right.